Flock cutter



A. HAUGE FLOGK CUTTER Filed May 5, 1959 Patented Nov. 19, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FLOC'K CUTTER Application May 5, 1939, Serial No. 271,999

13 Claims.

My invention relates to flock cutters.

It has `among its objects to provide an improved flock cutter of the type described and claimed in my Patent No. 2,145,177, patented January 24, 1939, and one which is especially adapted to finer cutting while distributing the cutting substantially uniformly along the length of the cylinder. Further objects of my invention are to provide such a flock cutter having l0 improved means for so controlling the passage of the cut material through the machine as to adapt such a machine to ner cutting and to more uniform cutting, and also to provide such improved means especially adapted to be substituted for one or more of the screen frames used in that construction in such manner as to vary the iineness of cut in a Wholly new manner and over a wholly new range in such manner as markedly to increase the field of use of the machine. Still another object is to provide an improved panel of an improved construction adapted thus to be substituted, and having improved material engaging and controlling means disposed between the panel and the rotating.

cylinder and functioning to control the material in such manner as to en-able the fineness of cut to be regulated as desired. These and other objects and advantages of my improvements will, however, hereinafter more fully appear.

In the accompanying drawing, I have shown for purposes of illustration one embodiment which my invention may assume in practice.

In the drawing:

Figure l is an end view of such a flock cutting machine equipped with this form of my improvement;

Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical sectional view through the machine;

Fig. 3 is a detail side elevation vas seen substantially from line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Fig. 4 is a bottom perspective view of a portion of one of my improved panel members, and

Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view of said panel member.

In this illustrative construction, I have shown a flock cutting machine of the type described and' claimed in my above mentioned patent and including a cylinder I journalled in a suitable enclosing frame 2 and cooperating with stationary knives 3 having between the same and around the periphery of the cylinder I, screens 4 enclosed Within suitable openable covers 5 and communicating with end outlets B; my improvements herein including improved panel means,

generally indicated at 1, and adapted to be subq (Cl. E53-6) stituted for one or more of these screens whereby improved results are obtained,` as hereinafter set forth.

Referring more particularly to my improved v panel means, generally indicated at l, it will be 5 noted that the same herein includes a plate 8 of substantially the conformation of one of the screens 4 and adapted to be substituted for such a screen. In practice, each plate 8' has flanges along its opposite edges and carries the samey 10" connecting or fastening means provided for mounting a screen 4 in the frame 2. However, the plate 8 is an imperforate plate. Thus, any escape of cut material from the cylinder to one of the outlets 6 is thereby prevented whenever a screen 15 is replaced by a panel. As a result, the material to be cut will be retained longer in the machine in such manner as to enable ner cutting.

Moreover, it will be noted that along the inm ner face of the plate 3 a series of suitable vanes 20 9 is provided. Herein, these vanes are spaced from one another along the plate and in parallel relation and disposed at an angle of approximately to one edge of the plate, while leading from, or being inclined away from, the feed end 25 of the cylinder toward the opposite end thereof. In a preferred construction, as shown in Figure 5, the adjacent end vane is spaced somewhat from that end of the plate which is nearest the feed hopper Il, while the vanes extend parallel to 3o each other clear to the opposite end of the plate. Further, it will be understood that, if desired, one or more of the vanes adjacent the feed end of the yplate may be omitted. Obviously, the

number and space between the vanes provided 35` will be varied as desired. I-Ierein, it will also be observed that the vanes are curved and vary in cross section from end to end, as shown in Figures 2 and 4, in such manner as to provide a substantially equal clearance between the vane 4o and the spiral cutting knives il] on the cylinder l at all points along each vane. Here attention is further directed to the fact that each vane increases in cross section in the direction of r0- tation of the cylinder l. As shown, the deepest 45 point in the vane is also disposed adjacent one of the stationary knives 3, while the opposite end of the vane, i. e. its portion of least depth, is spaced substantially from the next adjacent stationary knife 3, and a substantial clearance is 50 provided by the casing frame between this last knife and the thin end of the vane. Here note also that the vanes arein the form of inexpensive angle members having flanges 9a resting at against the inner face of the plate 8, and suit- 55 ably attached thereto as, for example, by riveting or welding.

In the use of my improved construction, the number of panels l which are used may vary widely, depending upon the iineness of cut desired. Under certain conditions only one of the various screens 4 on the machine will be replaced with a panel, whereas under other con.4 ditions, as many as three screens will be replaced With panels. The order and arrangement of the panels may also be varied. Although the location of the panel, when only one is used, does not seem to be important, I prefer to space the same around the cylinder, as, for example, alternately, when as many as three panels are required. Further, as brought out above, the number and arrangement of the Vanes on the panels may be varied within wide limits, in such manner as to obtain further Variation in results obtained. Whenever used, however, it will be apparent that the panel will prevent the escape of the cuttings and thereby insure that the material to be eut will remain longer in the machine in such manner as thereby further to increase the neness of the cut and the possible range of the machine. Further, it will be evident that the vanes on the panel or panels will be so disposed in the path of the cut material as to slow up the passage of the material to he cut from end to end of the machine, and thereby insure further and finer cutting of the material.

As a result of my improvements, the panels act in an improved manner to retard the normal axial flow of material caused by the spiral knives on the rotating cylinder. Consequently, it is made possible to overcome the previous diiiiculty experienced when cutting iine material with screens having small openings, i. e. that the axial ow would be too fast and so fast as not to permit the material to be cut iine enough to allow it to escape through the screens before it reached the end of the machine. At the same time, the resultant tendency of the material to accumulate and clog the screens at that end of the machine is also overcome. These and other advantages of my improvements will, however, be clearly apparent to those skilled in the art While I have in this application specically described certain embodiments which my invention may assume in practice, it will be understood that these forms are chosen for purposes of illustration, and that the invention may be modi'ed and embodied in various other forms without departing from its spirit or the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to Letters Patent is:

1. In a ilock cutter, a rotary cutter drum having spiral knives extending longitudinally of the axis of the drum, an enclosing casing therefor including cooperating stationary knives and circumferentially located screens and wherein the cut material is normally fed axially by said spiral knives, and axially spaced means on said casing extending inwardly and across the path of the axially fed cut material for retarding lthe normal axial movement of the cut material by said spiral knives.

2. In a ilock cutter, a rotary cutter drum having spiral knives extending longitudinally of the axis of the drum, an enclosing casing therefor including cooperating stationary knives and circumferentially located screens and wherein the cut material is normally fed axially by said spiral secure by knives, and a circumferentially located panel on said casing extending longitudinally thereof between certain of said stationary knives and carrying axially spaced means extending inwardly and across the path of the axially fed cut material for retarding the normal axial movement of the cut material by said spiral knives.

3. In a flock cutter, a rotary cutter drum having spiral knives extending longitudinally of the axis of the drum, an enclosing casing therefor wherein the cut material is normally fed axially by said spiral knives and having cooperating stationary knives, circumferentially located apertures for the cut material extending lengthwise of said casing, screens in certain of said apertures, and means for varying the rlneness of the cut including panels in one or more of said apertures carrying axially spaced retarding members projecting inwardly toward said drum and across the normal path of axial movement of the cut material.

4. In a flock cutter, a rotary cutter drum having spiral knives extending longitudinally of the axis of the drum, an enclosing casing therefor wherein the cut material is normally fed axially by said spiral knives and including cooperating stationary knives, circumferentially located screens, a circumferentially located unscreened aperture, and :leans closing said aperture having axially spaced members projecting inwardly toward said drum and into the normal path of axial movement of the cut material for retarding the axial movement of said material.

5. In a flock cutter, a rotary cutter drum having spiral knives extending longitudinally of the axis or the drum, an enclosing casing therefor wherein the cut material is normally fed axially by said spiral knives including cooperating spaced stationary knives, circumferentially located screens between certain of said stationary knives, an unscreened aperture between certain of said stationary knives, and means closing said aperture having axially spaced members projecting inwardly toward said drum and across the normal path of axially moving cut material for retarding the axial ow of said material.

6. In a flock cutter, an enclosing casing having stationary knives, a rotary cutter drum therein having spiral knives extending longitudinally of the axis of said drum and normally feeding the cuttings axially of said casing, and means between certain of said stationary knives for retarding the passage of cuttings through said casing including a plurality of vanes spaced from one another longitudinally of the casing and extending across the path of the axially fed material and into proximity to the periphery of said rotary cutter drum.

'7. In a iiock cutter, an enclosing casing having stationary knives, a rotary cutter drum therein having spiral knives extending longitudinally of the axis of said drum and normally feeding the cuttings axially of said casing, and means between certain of said stationary knives for retarding the passage of cuttines through said casing including a plurality of vanes spaced from one another longitudinally of the casing and extending across the path of the axially fed material and into proximity to the periphery of said -drum and having curved surfaces adjacent said drum.

8. In a flock cutter, an enclosing casing having stationary knives., a rotary cutter drum therein having spiral knives extending longitudinally of the axis of said drum and normally feeding the cuttings axially of said casing, and means between certain of said stationary knives for retarding the passage of cuttings through said casing including a plurality of vanes spaced from one another longitudinally of the casing and extending across the path of the axially fed cut material and into proximity to the periphery of said drum, said vanes having curved portions disposed adjacent the periphery of said drum and being of increasing depth in the direction of rotation of the latter.

9. In a ilock cutter, an enclosing casing having stationary knives, a rotary cutter drum therein having spiral knives extending longitudinally of the axis of said drum and normally feeding the cuttings axially of said casing, and means between certain of said stationary knives for retarding the passage of cuttings through said casing including a panel extending longitudinally of said casing and having a plurality of varies spaced from one another longitudinally of the casing and extending across the path of the axially fed cut material and into proximity to the periphery of said drum, said casing having feeding means at one end and said vanes being spaced from that end of the casing and inclined toward the opposite end thereof.

10. In a flock cutter, a rotary cutter drum having spiral knives extending longitudinally of the axis of said drum, a casing therefor wherein the cut material is normally fed axially of said spiral knives and having cooperating stationary knives disposed in spaced relation around the periphery of said casing, longitudinally disposed apertures between certain of said stationary knives, screens in certain of said apertures, and panel means in certain of said apertures carrying retarding means projecting inwardly toward said drum and across the normal path of axial movement oi the cut material for timing the speed of axial flow of said cut material through said casing.

11. In a flock cutter, a rotary cylinder having spiral knives extending longitudinally of the axis thereof, an enclosing casing wherein the cut material is normally fed axially by said spiral knives and having cooperating knives and a longitudinal opening in said casing between certain of said knives, and an elongated panel member closing said opening and having means projecting inward from` the face of said member across the path of the axially fed cut material into proximity to said cylinder for retarding the normal material flow longitudinally of said cylinder to vary the fineness of the cut.

12. In a ilock cutter, a rotary cutter drum having spiral rotating knives extending longitudinally of the axis of said drum and an enclosing casing therefor wherein the cut material is normally fed axially by said spiral knives and carrying cooperating stationary knives, and means extending inwardly toward said drum and across the path or the axially fed cut material for retarding said normal axial movement of said cut material and including an elongated panel member having a plurality of angularly disposed vanes on the inner surface thereof projecting into adjacency to said spiral knives.

13. In a flock cutter, a rotary drum having spiral rotating knives, an enclosing casing therefor wherein the cut material is normally fed axially by said spiral knives and carrying cooperating stationary knves, and means for retarding the normal axial movement of the cut material including a plurality of vanes disposed generally transversely of said spiral knives and spaced from one another along the length of the latter and circumferentially located between certain of said stationary knives and projecting inwardly beyond said stationary knives into adjacency to said spiral knives.

ANDREW HAUGE. 

